The procedure which is generally employed in connection with simple vasectomies includes grasping the vas deferens with an appropriate instrument and making an incision to the adjacent subcutaneous tissue. The vasal sheath is then grasped with a clamp and incised with the vas being dissected from the sheath. The vas is then isolated and a segment is excised whereupon the distal end of the vas is electrocoagulated and/or ligated and then buried within the vasal sheath. The proximal end of the vas is also electrocoagulated and/or ligated, and finally the skin can be closed.
Although this procedure has proven to be quite reliable, it is the subject of a number of disadvantages. In particular, this above-described procedure is relatively time-consuming, requiring on the order of at least about 40 minutes or so. The conventional procedure thus requires a surgical incision, entailing all of the necessary precautions normally incident to relatively complicated surgical procedures.
Procedures for the percutaneous occlusion of the vas deferens in a vasectomy have thus been generated in which a mechanical clip is applied to the vas deferens as taught forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,864, in the name of the inventor in the present application. This patent discloses an apparatus and method for effecting occlusion of the vas deferens including a pair of pivotally coupled jaws for receiving a U-shaped locking clip therein, so that after the locking clip is placed between the jaws, closure of the jaws entirely effects closure of the locking clip therein. Although this apparatus has provided a major improvement in the performance of such vasectomies, it relies entirely upon the pivoting of the jaw members to effect the closure of the clip, a movement which is not always desirable in such surgical procedures. The search has therefore continued for improved devices to eliminate this shortcoming and further facilitating the vasectomy procedure.